


It Started Out With a Kiss

by ToxicTraitor



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: M/M, ygoshipolympics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-05
Updated: 2015-08-05
Packaged: 2018-04-13 03:01:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4505157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicTraitor/pseuds/ToxicTraitor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sora begins to question his feelings when his childhood friend, Shun, kisses him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Started Out With a Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> My entry for the YGO Ship Olympics.  
> Preyshipping Team, 2nd Submission. (Prompt: Victory) + (Challenge: Bitter)
> 
> Please enjoy and please vote for our team.

Sora was two when he first met Shun.  It was simple enough for them to become friends. 

            “What’s your name?” Shun asked, the four year old smiling confidently with his hands on his hips, “My name is Shun,”

            “Sora,” the two year old squeaked.

            Shun smiled even wider, he held out his hand for Sora to take, “Do you want to play with me?  We’re playing tag and we need another player,”

            “Okay,” Sora agreed, taking Shun’s hand.

 

Sora was four when made his first promise with Shun.

            He peaked out from behind his hiding spot.  This tree was the perfect coverage; Shun would never find him here.  Sora smiled to himself, maybe this time he would win and be the victorious one.

            Just when he thought he would win, Shun’s hands covered his eyes, blocking out his vision.

            “I found you,” Shun said, his voice gloating, “I win,”

            Sora pouted, “That’s not fair.  You’re two years older than me and I’m not good at hide and seek,”

            Shun smiled, not giving an inch, “Fair or not, I still won.  Now I get my prize,”

            Sora sulked, “What do you want?”

            “Promise me when we’re older that you’ll marry me,” Shun said, smiling triumphantly.

            “Fine,” Sora mumbled, still upset.

            “You have to promise, Sora,” Shun reminded, holding out his hand for a pinky swear.

            “I promise,” Sora swore, hooking his smallest finger with Shun’s.

 

Sora was five when his parents ended their marriage.  His father had left him without even so much as a goodbye.  It tore his heart into pieces that Shun willingly helped Sora pick back up again.

            “I miss him,” Sora choked, hugging Shun tightly on Shun’s front porch.

            “I know,” the seven year old replied, patting Sora’s back, “I promise everything will be okay,”

 

Sora was eight when Shun asked him if he believed in love.

            They were lazing in front of Shun’s family’s TV on a Sunday morning, watching all the cartoons Sora could still remember the names of.  The credits had just begun to run when Shun began.

            “Do you believe in love?” Shun asked, propping himself up on his elbow to look at Sora’s face.

            Sora shook his head, “No.  It’s just one of those things that old people make up.  It’s like Santa Claus or the tooth fairy.  Those things don’t exist.  It’s all a lie that parents tell you so you’ll be a good boy,”

            Shun had gone complete quiet.  He didn’t say much after that.  He was caught up in his thoughts again, the way he always was.

            “Do you believe in love?” Sora asked when the silence became too much for him.

            “I do,” Shun said, his voice quiet, “I know it exists,”

            “How do you know?  Have you ever been in love?” Sora asked.

            Shun was quiet for a moment, “Yes,” he finally admitted.

            “Who is it?” Sora wondered.

            “The show’s coming back on,” Shun said, changing the topic suddenly to avoid the question.

 

Sora was ten when he began to notice little changes in Shun.

            Shun had grown taller and his voice had changed.  His eyes looked darker; the color had changed from a sunny yellow into a burnished gold.  The baby fat had melted away, leaving a slender but toned body in its place. 

            Sora began to feel a small stirring in his heart and a heat in his veins whenever he looked at Shun.  How had Shun become so pretty?  Sora had never really noticed these things about him before.

 

Sora was twelve when the dreams started.

            He began to dream of Shun.  At first, the dreams seemed normal.  He spent so much time with Shun that Shun was bound to make an appearance in his dreams.

            Then the dreams took a guilty turn that left Sora’s bed sheets wet and drenched in sweat.

            He dreamt of Shun.  He dreamt of his lips caught in a kiss and his hands touching him everywhere.  He dreamt of Shun’s hot breath at his ear as Shun whispered guilty things into his ear that made Sora’s heart skip a beat.

            He felt guilty for dreaming of such things.  The dreams made it hard for Sora to look into Shun’s eyes without his heart starting a race in his chest.

 

Sora was fourteen when Shun first kissed him.

            It was a Monday and school had just ended.  Shun had walked with Sora down the empty hallway as they made their way home.

            “Sora,” the sixteen year old called, “Wait.  I need… I need to show you something,”

            Sora turned around, not expecting the kiss at all.  He froze in place as Shun pressed his lips to his own.

            It felt like a dream.  All of his hidden wishes and desires had come true.  In fact, it seemed _too_ good to be true.  It must have been another one of those guilty dreams.  After all, most of them started out like this.

            He felt warm, right down to his fingertips and up to the crown of his head as Shun’s lips moved softly against his.  Shun pressed his body to Sora’s, their hips flush against each other.  Sora’s heart raced and his head spun.

            Shun pulled away too soon.  He measured Sora’s expression before he walked away without another word.  Sora stood alone in the empty hall, trying to process what had just happened.

            After that, Shun never mentioned the kiss.  He acted like the whole thing had never happened.  Sora didn’t dare ask him about it, he was too afraid to hear the truth.

            Shun couldn’t possible love him like that, could he?  That was ridiculous, they were just friends.  Weren’t they?

 

Sora was fifteen when he began to question everything.

            He had never questioned his feelings for Shun.  He had never wondered or doubted what he felt.  Shun was his best friend and he loved him.  It should be as simple as that.

            Shouldn’t it?

            Was it normal to feel this way?  Sora didn’t know anymore.  He couldn’t make sense of the way his heart sang whenever Shun smiled or said his name.  He couldn’t understand why his heart raced whenever Shun’s hand brushed against his.

            He had always loved Shun.  He had loved him even before he could even spell his own name.  Back then it seemed so simple.  It was so much easier to be a child.  It was easier to be naïve.

            Maybe he wouldn’t be asking himself these questions if Shun had never kissed him.

            Sora could still remember every detail of the kiss.  He could remember Shun’s hands tangled into his hair and Shun’s hips against his.  He could remember the way Shun had tasted and how soft his lips had been.  His heart still raced in his chest whenever he thought about it.

            Shun had never spoken about it.  Not once since then.  Sora wasn’t sure what the kiss had meant.  It wasn’t the sort of kiss you shared with a friend, it was more than that.  So then why didn’t Shun just say something?

            It had been almost an entire year, but Sora’s head still span when he thought about that kiss too much.  He tried to find the reasoning for it.  Why had Shun kissed him?  Why didn’t Shun ever mention the kiss since then?  Why didn’t Shun try to kiss him again?

            Shun never dated anyone.  He never even showed any interest in anyone.  He had a smile that was always reserved just for Sora.  It was a soft smile, one that tilted the corners of his lips up playfully.  It was so hard for Sora to ignore his lips when he smiled like that.  That smile made Sora’s knees weak and his heart do leaps and bounds in his chest.

            Shun said ‘I love you’ nearly every day.  Sora hadn’t thought much about it, Shun told Yuuto that he loved him all the time too.  Still, there was a slight difference in his tone.  His voice was always incredibly soft whenever he said those words to Sora and his eyes always burned into that warm gold that Sora loved so much.

            No matter how many paths Sora went down, he always ended up at the same conclusion.  Shun loved him.  He really, really loved him.  It wasn’t the sort of love between friends or brothers, this love was different.  Shun _loved_ him, that much seemed clear.

            Now all that there was left to ask was whether or not he felt the same.

            Sora’s views on love were stained and bitter.  His parents fought too much and his father had left when he was only five years old.  He felt broken.  He didn’t think he could love Shun the way Shun wanted. 

            He didn’t want to repeat his parents’ mistakes.  He certainly did not ever want to have to relive that pain ever again.  It was too much; Sora thought he would fall apart if he had to suffer that another time.  If he had a choice, he wouldn’t let himself fall in love with Shun.

            His heart disagreed.  He didn’t have a choice.  He never saw anyone else.  Shun always had the center spotlight in his heart.  Whenever he closed his eyes, he only saw Shun.  No matter how hard he tried to ignore his feelings, he knew that deep down, he really loved Shun too.

            He never wanted anyone else.  When he dreamed, it was of Shun.  He dreamed of his smile and his hands touching him in all the places no one had ever touched him before.  He dreamed of hot kisses and of Shun’s bright laughter. 

            He wanted it all.  He wanted everything Shun had to give.  He wanted what his parents had thrown away all those years ago.

            He wanted love.  He wanted love and the thought of it terrified him. 

            He needed to tell Shun.  He needed to ask him about that kiss.  He needed to know what it had meant; whether Shun loved him as just a friend or if he loved him as something so much more than that.

            He dialed Shun’s number into his phone and held his breath.  He waited for Shun to answer, counting the rings.  Maybe Shun wouldn’t answer; it was too early in the morning.  He must be asleep.

            “Sora?” Shun answered after the third ring, “Is something wrong?  It’s four in the morning,”

            “Can we talk?” Sora asked; his voice on the verge of trembling.

            “Sure,” Shun sighed, “Is everything okay?  Do you want me to come over?”

            “Can we meet in the park?”

            Sora could hear the rustling of bed sheets as Shun got out of bed, “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes, okay?”

            “Okay,”

            Sora waited in the park.  It was only a short walk from his house so it had only taken him about ten minutes to get here.  He waited nervously.  He wasn’t sure what to say or what to do when Shun arrived.

            When Shun came, he had a coffee in his hands.  He gave Sora that same smile that made Sora think all sorts of things from kissing him to having Shun’s hand in his.

            “Why did you want to meet me here?” Shun asked, taking a sip of his coffee. 

            He offered Sora some but Sora shook his head.  He was already too wound up and coffee would make it worse.

            Sora bit his lip, he bit so hard that he could taste blood, “Why?” he began, “Why did you kiss me?”

            The playful smile on Shun’s face fell, “I was hoping that you wouldn’t remember that,” he confessed with a nervous laugh aimed at his feet.

            Sora licked his lips, “How could I forget?  It’s all I’ve been able to think about since then,”

            Shun ran his hand through his hair, “Why do you want to know?”

            “Stop,” Sora pleaded, “Stop avoiding the question.  Why did you kiss me?”

            Shun was quiet for a moment.  He stared off into space as he thought about what to say, “I’m sorry, Sora.  It was a mistake.  I didn’t mean to do that,”

            “What do you mean by that?  You didn’t mean to do it?  How can you say that?”

            Shun shrugged, “I’m sorry I kissed you.  I shouldn’t have done that.  It’s just that… that I…” Shun shook his head, “It’s stupid,”

            Sora trembled, “Tell me,”

            Sora watched as Shun’s eyes began to glisten, “I love you, Sora.  I really, really love you.  I’m sorry.  I know it’s not what you wanted but I’m happy as we are.  I’m happy enough to just be your friend,”

            Sora shook his head.  The words were harder to hear than he thought, “How long?”

            “How long have I loved you?  I knew I loved you the moment I met you,” Shun laughed nervously again, “I always knew that I would always love you,”

            “That sounds so stupid,” Sora muttered.

            “It does, doesn’t it?  I wish I could say that I was making this up, but it’s the truth.  I loved you from the moment you told me your name.  Maybe even before that,”

            “You know I don’t believe in love,”

            Shun sighed sadly, “I know,”

            It was quiet for a moment.  Neither of them dared to look at each other.  Shun had placed all his cards flat to on the table for Sora to see.  He wasn’t hiding his feelings anymore.

            It hurt to hear the truth.  It was so tempting.  It was so tempting to let go of everything Sora thought he knew and to give in to Shun.  He was on the edge, so dangerously close to getting hurt again.

            Part of him didn’t care how much it would hurt later when things finally fell apart.  If he could have Shun now, well, that was better than nothing.

            “I want it all, Sora,” Shun explained, “I want to buy a too small apartment with you and get married in front of our families.  I want to adopt children and maybe a pet or two.  I want it all.  You don’t understand how much I want it,”

            Sora could understand.  He wanted all of that and more.  He wanted to believe the lie of love and fall into its trap with Shun.

            “I want to have all of that with you but I’ll settle for what we have now if that’s what will make you happy,” Shun continued.

            Sora trembled, tears stinging his eyes.  His throat felt so dry. 

            “Kiss me,” he begged, “Kiss me again, Shun,”

            Shun hesitated, unsure.

            “Please,” Sora pleaded; his voice hoarse as he licked his lips, “ _Please._ ”

            Shun tilted Sora’s face up to his and carefully pressed his lips to Sora’s. Sora’s lips parted, offering more. Shun hesitated for just a second before he let the tip of his tongue taste Sora’s.

            The kiss was slow.  Neither of them knew what they were doing.  They just tried whatever felt good.  Sora pressed his body closer to Shun’s, wrapping his arms around Shun’s neck.  He laced his fingers into Shun’s hair, keeping Shun in place.

            When Sora finally pulled away, they were both breathless.  Shun’s eyes looked almost completely gold now, any hint of green gone. 

            Sora buried his face into Shun’s chest, hiding his gaze, “I love you, Shun.  I love you,”

            Shun was quiet, the words sinking in one by one, “I’ve been waiting for years to hear you say that, Sora.  You can’t imagine how much I’ve wanted to hear you say that,”

            “I’m scared,” Sora murmured, pressing his face into Shun’s chest, “I love you and that scares me more than anything,”

            “I know it’s frightening to fall in love.  I’m scared too, Sora.  Please, Sora.  Please give me a chance.  Let me show you that love does exist,” Shun said as he ran his hands down Sora’s head.  The gesture was soothing and calming.

            “What if I’m just like my father?  What if everything falls apart just like my parents’ marriage?  I can’t go through that again, Shun.  I don’t want to get hurt again,”

            “You’re not like you father.  You’re nothing like him,”

            “Maybe not now, but what about later?  My parents loved each other once, but now they don’t even talk to each other.  I haven’t seen my father in over an entire decade,” Sora cried, pulling away from Shun’s embrace, “I can’t let that happen again,”

            Shun’s eyes were sad, “So, what does that mean for us?”

            Sora shook his head, “I don’t know.  You make it so difficult for me.  I want to say no.  I want to stop it here before it’s too late but you make it so hard,”

            “Should we stop here?  Will that make it easier for you, Sora?” Shun asked; Sora could hear Shun’s voice begin to strain, “Do you want me to stop talking to you?”

            Sora’s heart ached at the thought of Shun leaving, “At this point, I don’t care how much it hurts later.  I don’t care as long as I can have you now,”

            Sora looked up at Shun.  He could see tears in the older boy’s eyes.  He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Shun cry. 

            “I’d let you break me,” Sora confessed, “As long as I can have you now, I’d would let you destroy me over and over again,”

            “I won’t break you, Sora,” Shun promised, “I can’t hurt you,”

            “I love you,” Sora cried, “I love you,”

            Sora trembled, shaking from all of his fear of the unknown.  His head was full of noise, of all empty promises from his father had left behind and all of his doubt. 

            Shun held him as he cried.  He felt so safe and warm in Shun’s familiar arms.  Shun felt like home.

            Sora could feel his doubt begin to melt away in Shun’s warmth.  Maybe there was no reason to be scared.  He needed to let go of the bitterness his father had left him with.  Maybe that was what he was truly afraid of.  Maybe he was just afraid of leaving behind the last piece he had of his father.

 

Sora was eighteen the first night he had spent with Shun.

            It had gone easier than he had thought it would.  Aside from a few mistakes here and there, the whole experience had felt amazing.  It was even better than all those dreams he had of Shun touching him.

            As amazing as it was, it couldn’t compare to the look in Shun’s eyes when it was over.  The gold in them burned bright, filled with warmth.  Sora could see so much love in his eyes.

            It made his heart sing in his chest.

 

Sora was twenty-four when he finally married Shun.

            He wore that grey suit that Yuuya had helped him choose and Shun wore a black one that he had borrowed from his father.  They said their vows in front of their families and friends, just as Shun had wanted.

            “Do you remember when I made you promise me that you would marry me?  After I won that game of hide and seek?” Shun asked when they had a moment alone.

            Sora rolled his eyes, “You practically tricked me into, too.  Remind me never to play hide and seek with you ever again.  You’ll just rub your new victories in my face for forever,”

            Shun laughed once before he kissed again, “Thank you for keeping that promise, Sora.  You’ve made me so happy,”

 

Sora was twenty-six when he and Shun bought their first apartment.

            It wasn’t small like Shun had dreamed about.  They decided to plan ahead for the children that Shun wanted to adopt and those pets he had promised Sora.  A small apartment wouldn’t have enough room for a growing family.

            They sat on the couch, exhausted from hauling boxing in through the door and furniture around the rooms all day.  Sora rested his head against Shun’s shoulder, cuddling into Shun’s warmth.  Shun kissed his head and pulled him closer.

            Somehow, _somehow_ , they had gotten all the way here.  Somehow, despite all of his fears, they were happy.  Even with all of the obstacles in their way, they made it here.

            Years ago, Sora could have never pictured himself like this.  He would have never imagined the pretty wedding ring on his finger or Shun’s hand in his.  He would never have believed anyone if they had told him that he would be sitting here next to Shun like this, caught in his warm and loving embrace.

            He was happy.  For once, there was no more fear or doubt in the back of his mind.  He was happy and he knew he would be for a long time. 

            “I love you, Shun,” Sora murmured.

            Finally, he could say it without any hesitation.  He could say it without tears in his eyes or fear caught in his throat.  He loved Shun.  He really did.

            The smile on Shun’s face when he said those words made all of the Hell he had walked through with it.

            He finally believed in love.    


End file.
